Frankly, I don't like watching or listening to conspiracy theory material. It is designed to frighten people, to make people lose hope by presenting an unbeatable enemy. And that is completely at odds with the faith that my religion has taught me, that there is always hope, that there is always a better way, and that all people have the power to do good in the lives of others. I believe that right will win out in the end, not by force, but by simply being true, correct, good, and most needful in the lives of all people. And even if there is something really going on that is larger than all of us, a malevolent and evil force or group? That doesn't change that we are responsible for our own actions, and that we must make our own best judgements to do what we feel is right. "Do what is right; let the consequence follow."

And let's face it, conspiracy theories have to sound credible if they are to be effective. They also have to account for people who disbelieve the message by claiming that most people simply blind themselves to what is right in front of their faces, and that only people who are enlightened - who can "see" the truth - are able to see the danger. It appeals to the sense that yes, I am special because I can see the truth that others can't! We like secrets, most humans do, finding out secrets and sharing secrets, which is another aspect of the success behind conspiracy theories. I've seen plenty of them before to know how they appeal to us.

No single person can save everyone. It is not right to expect them to. We need to all pull together and hold up our share of the work. It's the only way we can really live in this crazy old world.

It's no secret - people as a whole suck...but it's when groups of people can prove to themselves and others that it doesn't always have to be that way that you can really see that not everything is a bleak picture of black holes, despair and idiocy.

Believe me, conspiracy theories for the most part are nothing more than a concoction of facts blanketed over and painted grey by those who would wish to see the status quo trolled to hell and back simply because they don't like it...those are the real fools, not the ones who question the world around them.

Don't sweat about it too much, Reithe - you can question the world all you wish...just don't forget that there are genuine reasons to celebrate humanity as well as remind them as to how stupid they can be...it's all about the balance between the two.

ib4 pretentious 15 year old psuedo-existentialist wannabe nihilists
ib4 trolls
ib4 equally pretentious holier than thou's trolling everyone
ib4 trolls trolling trolls trolling trolls trolling trolls

I've seen too many topics of these kinds before and this is the route this topic is pretty much destined to go down.

I still continue to keep faith in humanity because for all of the bad that's in us, there will always be good to counteract it. Sure the world's filled with bad people but that won't change, there's always going to be someone who feels they're more entitled, or that someone doesn't deserve peace or to live and I understand that it can get to the point where it makes you want to scream but the worst thing you can do is give up, to not care about others. The moment you actually stop caring is the moment when you become just like the others. Sure you're not doing anything bad, but you're not counteracting it either, you're just sitting on the sidelines watching. It's through the actions of good people that the world keeps going. Bad things happen all the time, that's the world, but it's good people who keep us strong.

But that's just my opinion.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeitgeist:_The_Movie

Look under "Critical Reaction".

Maybe reading some criticisms will help you not take the movie so seriously.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeitgeist:_The_Movie

Look under "Critical Reaction".

Maybe reading some criticisms will help you not take the movie so seriously.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argumentum_ad_populum

not that i'm defending zeitgeist, i think it's complete grade a garbage

just sayin'

Just wanted to let everyone know, I finally managed to knock myself out last night and am feeling significantly better today. Thanks for everone's responces on this, I don't feel as though I'm in crisis mode anymore ^_^

Just a quick one to CT; I had already checked the wiki page for the references and in doing so found the Critical Reaction, it didn't change much about my opinion I'm afraid
As I said the film did initially take me as being utter garbage mainly because of part one, which you will note the sited Critical Reaction is centered on. It was the later parts and its follow up film 'Zeitgeist; Addendum', which focus on the corruption of centralised banking and the deliberate manipulation of the public that really got to me. Mainly because I could find the evidence myself to back up what they were saying. Of what criticism I found, few seemed to address the concerns of mass ergonomic manipulation raised in these films, mainly because they were too fixated on the 'christ myth' debacle. Those that did were unsighted and contained mostly personal opinion rather then factually supported conclusions. The very idea that 'war is a racket' chills me to levels of my soul I thought I never had, because I had known it to be true long before hand and simply hoped that I was jumping at shadows. The end result of this observation and research was a cycle of depression that came at exactly the moment I REALLY didn't need it (collage stress and all that). At first I was angry, furious in fact. But as I found out more and found the credible souses to back up the core messages, the less I wanted to know as the odds are insurmountable on a personal scale. Earnestly I considered whether it was really worth it all, being as I am part of a system that effectively enslaves country's to the whim of greedy profiteers. A system where currency is backed by nothing but the promise of worth, its value controlled by a none governmental agency with little controls placed upon its ethical behaviour.

But this morning while I was feeding the chickens, an epiphany occurred. I Know about this. A system which relies on mass ignorance, and in less time then it took the film to run I had found source for both sides of the argument. And if I can find this out, so can anyone else. Sudenly the odds don't seem so bad.

I'm feeling back to my old self again. Sun is shining, birds and singing in the garden, my cat is sat purring in my lap and now I'm off to work selling shiny baubles to the ignorant masses.

Life feels good

I don't know anything about this Zeitgeist movie, but I tend to not believe conspieracy theories in general...because of ther nature...Conspiracists have their OWN agenda with their theories, and they use loaded wordage to scare people into believing them.

I lost faith in humanity myself a while ago...(My mom says that there was a time during high school when I actually said "I hate people." But I don't remember it. I don't really hate people...but neither do I trust them completely.) but that's what being constantly bullied tends to do to you. However, I know there's good in people too...Basically, there's two types of people. Greedy, selfish people who care only for themselves (like a certain ex-boss of mine Yes, I'm still bitter, a whole year later. >.>; ) And the nicer people that actually CARE about others and the world and stuff. It's a shame that many of the people in power (like that boss..>.>) seem to be the corrupted greedy ones.

I don't think there's such a thing as evil. Even the most awful people probably set out to do what they thought was a good thing. It's just one way or the other their minds were warped so they weren't good things after all.

Uuuuuh I dunno. I don't really have a problem with humanity, just culture. You are the result of your upbringing after all. Like how in my country the culture makes it so that if someone is getting mugged in the street almost everyone will ignore it cause they're too scared to intervene. Even though if everyone intervened they'd have no problem taking the mugger out. And in other countries where they place personal wealth above all else, even if other people get hurt.

Yeah. That's my 2p.

*mugs susan for the 2p*

I'm glad you're feeling better, Reithe. That's the most important thing to come out of this topic.

That and a little instant karma. *mugs Pach for the money he just mugged*